Focus on Global Health Equity, Jointly Exploring Sustainable Cooperation in AI-enabled Medicine
— China-Switzerland-Africa Cooperation Seminar on Artificial Intelligence and Smart Medicine Successfully Held in Geneva
On May 21, 2026 local time, on the sidelines of the 79th World Health Assembly, the China-Switzerland-Africa Cooperation Seminar on Artificial Intelligence and Smart Medicine was inaugurated at the Global Health Institute of the University of Geneva’s Biotech Campus in Switzerland. The event brought together a number of leading academic and public health institutions from China and Switzerland, including the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Geneva, the Global Health Institute, Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), the Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center, the School of Public Health of Fudan University, and the Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Participants conducted in-depth discussions on core themes such as health accessibility in developing countries, cross-border cooperation in AI-enabled digital medicine, sustainable China-Africa health assistance, and circular reuse of medical equipment, building a multilateral cooperation bridge for an inclusive, equitable, green and low-carbon global digital health system.
Gathering of Distinguished Authorities to Build a Multilateral Dialogue Platform for Global Health
The seminar was attended by top experts and institutional representatives in the global health field from China, Switzerland and African regions. Swiss guests included Antoine Geissbuhler, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Geneva; Nelly Stadérini, Head of the Women’s Health Program at Médecins Sans Frontières; Nicolas Ray, Director of the Global Health Institute of the University of Geneva; and Sophie Matte, Head of the Partnership Department at UICC. The Chinese delegation was led by the Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center, with members including Chen Xin, Director of the Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention; Luo Li, Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of Public Health of Fudan University; as well as national experts in public health and clinical research, covering multiple disciplines: cancer prevention and control, chronic disease management, digital health, clinical innovation, and the green medical industry.
Aligned with the World Health Organization (WHO)’s core goal of Universal Health Coverage, the event addressed the challenges of health development in resource-limited regions such as Africa and Central Asia. It explored viable paths for the joint export by China and Switzerland to developing countries of digital medical technologies, complete sets of medical equipment, professional training systems, and circular supply of medical devices, and explored a new innovative cross-border cooperation model that links public health institutions, tertiary hospitals and medical industry enterprises. All experts agreed that four core gaps mark the development of public health in less developed regions: infectious disease prevention, maternal and child health, care for people with disabilities, and chronic disease management. The shortage of equipment, high medical costs and unsustainable resources further widen the health gap. The combination of digital artificial intelligence and circular reuse of medical equipment serves as a dual solution to overcome these obstacles.
Discussion on the Value of AI-enabled Digital Medicine: China’s Green Circular Medical Practices Offer Replicable Models to the World
During the discussion session, Chinese representatives systematically shared China’s experience in applying AI to integrated health management and implementing a sustainable medical industry. By leveraging remote communication, intelligent monitoring and big data management technologies, the national "Hundred Thousand Miles" program for rural stroke prevention enables home-based monitoring of chronic diseases, real-time data management and online medical consultations via mobile phones. In Shanghai, a comprehensive cancer prevention and control system has been built, which integrates AI screening, digital follow-up and lifelong health management, covering the entire cycle: cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and palliative care.
Faced with the problems of less developed countries — lack of medical equipment, high procurement costs and one-time resource consumption — the delegation highlighted Chinese and international innovative ideas on green medicine and circular reuse of medical devices. Before the trip, members of the delegation attended the International Summit on Green Medical Services (Shanghai) in Lingang New Area, with the theme "Medical Circularity for Global Health: Building an International Sustainable Medical Ecosystem". The event gathered leading domestic medical equipment enterprises such as United Imaging and Mindray Medical, aiming to explore a complete model of standardized refurbishment, cross-border circulation and reuse of used medical equipment with quality assurance. Chinese enterprises proposed that, within the framework of health cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, refurbished and technically inspected circular medical equipment be exported to developing countries in Africa and Central Asia. This offer is accompanied by local maintenance and repair services, practical training for medical professionals, and advanced training channels in China for foreign technicians. This significantly reduces the equipment procurement costs for grassroots medical institutions and cuts down on resource waste and environmental impact caused by medical device disposal.
The experts present reached a consensus on the obstacles to implementing digital and circular medicine in developing countries: digital health cannot be limited to online AI systems, and must be accompanied by physical diagnosis and treatment infrastructure and qualified local medical human resources. The WHO is developing unified reference standards for digital health adapted to low-income regions. China’s mature grassroots smart medicine models and standardized medical equipment circulation system can complement Switzerland’s cutting-edge clinical research systems, providing integrated solutions that are low-cost, easy to implement and low-carbon sustainable for regions such as Africa.
Swiss experts explained that Geneva hosts the largest number of international health organizations in the world, with unique advantages in coordinating multilateral resources and promoting international projects. UICC stressed that developing countries face serious problems in cancer prevention and control: fragmented infrastructure, lack of equipment and high refurbishment costs. There is an urgent need to adopt the circular reuse model of medical devices to ease operational pressure, and establish a long-term and functional transnational cooperation network with China, which leverages China’s established medical industry, circular equipment supply and digital AI technologies to fill local gaps in cancer treatment.
Deepening Synergy in the Green Circular Medical Industry and Defining Multiple Future Cooperation Intentions
During the seminar, the Chinese delegation fully presented the development needs of China’s green medical industry, and the circular export plan of medical equipment aroused great interest among the participants. Chinese medical equipment enterprises aim to take advantage of Geneva’s international multilateral platform to expand the export channels of circular medical equipment, establish local maintenance points abroad and international medical skill training systems. At the same time, they look forward to systematic policy support from the state in cross-border circulation of equipment, quality inspection certification for circular devices, and international joint clinical research.
The University of Geneva expressed its intention to leverage the concentration of international organizations in the city to mobilize resources from global health institutions to jointly build a sustainable green medical ecosystem, and promote the integration of the concept of circular reuse of medical equipment into the mainstream of global health assistance. UICC explicitly proposed the establishment of a permanent transnational working network for cancer prevention and control with China, with priority pilot projects for the supply of circular cancer diagnosis and treatment equipment in Africa. All parties reached a preliminary agreement on four cooperation pillars:
1. Jointly organizing a special session at the World Cancer Congress in Hong Kong, China, in September 2026, focusing on disseminating Shanghai’s comprehensive cancer prevention practices and the medical equipment circulation assistance model;
2. Promoting the visit of experts from the WHO Innovation Center, UICC and the World Stroke Organization to China for on-site inspections, and implementing joint pilot projects that combine AI for chronic diseases and cancer prevention with the complementary supply of circular medical equipment;
3. Leveraging the permanent exchange channels between the School of Public Health of Fudan University and the Global Health Institute of the University of Geneva to jointly submit China-Switzerland global health research projects, and jointly train telemedicine professionals and circular equipment maintenance technicians for Africa;
4. Jointly researching unified standards for the cross-border circulation of medical equipment, with a view to establishing regulations recognized by China, Switzerland and Africa for quality inspection, refurbishment and traceability of used medical devices.
After the seminar, the Global Health Institute of the University of Geneva hosted a high-level working lunch. The Chinese delegation held closed-door talks with senior consultants from the WHO’s One Health initiative, the Global Fund, the HealthAI group, the BioAlps industrial alliance, and other international organizations and industry leaders. The discussions covered topics such as global health governance, cross-border transfer of digital medicine achievements, global implementation of medical equipment circulation, application of the One Health concept, transnational clinical research cooperation, and mutual professional exchange and training, accurately aligning cooperation needs to consolidate the foundation for the future implementation of China-Switzerland and China-Switzerland-Africa multilateral projects in medical AI and green circular medicine.
Field Visit to Geneva University Hospitals to Draw Lessons from International Innovative Clinical Governance
On the afternoon of the same day, accompanied by Anne Claire Pliska, Director of Digital Transformation at Geneva University Hospitals, members of the Chinese delegation visited specialized units of the hospital’s stroke center, reproductive health center and clinical research center. The team gained in-depth insights into advanced practices in the diagnosis and treatment of complex severe diseases, cross-ethnic female reproductive health interventions, standardized clinical research management and hospital digital transformation, while exchanging experiences on the full lifecycle management of medical equipment and low-carbon maintenance in European hospital institutions. The delegation held a closed-door meeting with Robert Mardini, Director of Geneva University Hospitals and former Secretary-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The two sides exchanged practical results on the governance of modern public hospitals, medical quality and safety control, hospital digital transformation, humanitarian medical assistance, public health emergency response systems, and sustainable management and circular reuse of medical equipment.
The delegation learned that Geneva University Hospitals is part of an integrated medical system in the Canton of Geneva, covering the entire care chain from primary to tertiary care, and using big data for precision medicine in the treatment of tumors and neurological diseases. However, Swiss federal policies limit data exchange between cantons, creating significant barriers to regional sharing of clinical information. The hospital’s scientific research funding is supported by cantonal government subsidies and medical service revenues. The investigator-initiated clinical trials (IIT) funding model of its clinical research center serves as an important reference for the development of the Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center’s system and the support for circular medicine research.
Conclusion of the Seminar: Promoting the Building of a Global Community of Health through Multilateral Cooperation in Digital Medicine and Circular Equipment
This seminar, an important multilateral exchange activity complementary to the 79th World Health Assembly, established a tripartite dialogue channel between academia, industry and international organizations in the health field, linking China, Switzerland and developing countries. It clarified the dual core role of artificial intelligence in digital medicine and standardized circular reuse of medical equipment in reducing global health inequalities and achieving sustainable and low-carbon global health development.
All parties expressed their intention to maintain permanent communication in the future and accelerate the implementation of the cooperation intentions defined during the event. Full use will be made of institutional platforms such as the Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center, the School of Public Health of Fudan University, the University of Geneva and UICC to build benchmark projects in areas such as cancer prevention and control, stroke and chronic disease management, accessible grassroots digital medicine, health assistance to Africa, and the building of a cross-border circular medical equipment ecosystem. Driven by the dual forces of digital health innovation and green circular medicine, we will promote the equitable and sustainable development of global public health, concretely implement the WHO’s Universal Health Coverage strategy, and contribute to the building of a global community of health for all through China-Switzerland synergy.
(Article submitted by Zhu Chouwen, Director of the Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center)